Electric city car for a narrow garage.

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kingdragonfly

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Topic # 239509 21-Jul-2018 11:24

I have a narrow garage, in the city. I want a safe EV.

Since I'm in New Zealand, I need a car with a "right-hand drive", steering wheel on the right like the UK.

I'm excluding the Peugeot iOn / Citroën C-Zero / Mitsubishi i-MiEV because it's looks to be no longer manufactured and hasn't changed since 2011.

I was thinking of getting a VW E-Up! since it's literally the narrowest EV, even narrower than the Smart.

It looks like the E-Up! doesn't sell new in NZ.

Any comments on the car, or how to get one? A used one from the UK has a NZD $15,000 rebate, but don't know how much to ship.

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Reply # 2059953 21-Jul-2018 13:20

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I've got a car out of the UK before when the pound was really weak in the wake of brexit.

In short you approach an import agent who will assist you with the process. I used european car imports. They will help you with a vehicle search, and will have reps in the UK that can assist with the process. They will arrange shipping (takes about 2 months), compliance etc.

They have contacts and can source brand new cars in a way that picks up the UK subsidy, but dosn't require you to pay UK vat (20%). Or they can source used cars (generally ones listed on autotrader.co.uk - need to be vat qualified to be cost effective).

If you are after used, there is only one vat Q car listed at the moment:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201805186649963?model=UP%21&fuel-type=Electric&radius=1500&advertising-location=at_cars&onesearchad=Used&onesearchad=Nearly%20New&onesearchad=New&postcode=sw1a0aa&sort=sponsored&keywords=vat&make=VOLKSWAGEN&page=1

As a guide to landed cost

GBP 15,500 = NZD 30,000
+GST $4500
+Freight $3000
+Import agent fee $3000
+Compliance, rego $500

= $41k landed, driveway in NZ

Note that you will one either the only one or one of a handful of VW up's in NZ. This can be kinda cool as the car will stand out. On the other hand, if you ever smash a windscreen or similar, you will be off the road while parts are shipped to you.

[edit], also check that the speedo can be changed to km/h

kingdragonfly

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Reply # 2059970 21-Jul-2018 14:35

Fantastic advice. Cheers.

I was thinking of taking a second look the the Smart "ForTwo Electric Drive."

RunningMan

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Reply # 2059979 21-Jul-2018 15:07

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Remember it's not just the width of the car, but how far the door opens as well. A 2 door car will often have much longer doors than a four door. Might find something like the Zoe has a good combination of width and short doors.

kingdragonfly

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Reply # 2060023 21-Jul-2018 15:38

Here's a comma delimited table, if someone wants to match a RHD electric car dimensions to a garage

Just edit copy, edit paste into Excel, and do the following

https://www.itsupportguides.com/knowledge-base/office-2013/excel-2013-how-to-paste-comma-separated-values/

Mfg,Make,Width,Length
Audi,A3 Sportback E-Tron,1.961,4.455
BMW,i3,1.775,4.011
Citroen,C-Zero,1.475,3.475
Honda,FCX Clarity,1.847,4.834
Hyundai,Ioniq Electric,1.82,4.47
Hyundai,Kona Electric,1.8,4.18
Jaguar ,i-Pace,1.92,4.682
Kia ,Niro EV,1.805,4.375
Kia ,Soul EV,1.8,4.14
Mercedes,EQC,1.9,4.7
Mitsubishi,Minicab Miev,1.395,3.265
Mitsubishi,i-MiEV,1.475,3.475
Mitsuoka,Raiku,1.475,3.57
Nissan,Leaf,1.79,4.49
Nissan,e-NV200,1.755,4.56
Peugeot,iOn,1.475,3.475
Renault,Kangoo Crew Van ZE33,1.83,4.666
Renault,Zoe,1.73,4.084
Smart,Fortwo Electric Drive ,1.663,2.695
Tesla,Model 3,1.85,4.694
Tesla,Model S,1.85,4.694
Tesla,Model X,1.964,4.979
Volkswagen,e-Golf,1.79,4.258
Volkswagen,e-Up,1.645,3.6

kingdragonfly

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Reply # 2060028 21-Jul-2018 15:53

Aredwood

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Reply # 2060118 21-Jul-2018 19:06

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RunningMan:
Remember it's not just the width of the car, but how far the door opens as well. A 2 door car will often have much longer doors than a four door. Might find something like the Zoe has a good combination of width and short doors.

Also check if the windows in the doors are frameless or not. If they are frameless, you can put the windows down, and then it is a lot easier to get in and out of the car in tight spaces. And it shouldn't matter about leaving the windows down while the car is parked in your garage.

1eStar

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Reply # 2060132 21-Jul-2018 19:29

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If you buy a Tesla, it doesn't matter that it's wide, because it parks itself, no need to open it's doors.

Bung

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Reply # 2060143 21-Jul-2018 20:19

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Garage about 60mm wider than car.

https://youtu.be/wnKoGN2oaTk

Scott3

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Reply # 2060178 21-Jul-2018 22:25

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Scott3:

If you are after used, there is only one vat Q car listed at the moment:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201805186649963?model=UP%21&fuel-type=Electric&radius=1500&advertising-location=at_cars&onesearchad=Used&onesearchad=Nearly%20New&onesearchad=New&postcode=sw1a0aa&sort=sponsored&keywords=vat&make=VOLKSWAGEN&page=1

As a guide to landed cost

GBP 15,500 = NZD 30,000
+GST $4500
+Freight $3000
+Import agent fee $3000
+Compliance, rego $500

= $41k landed, driveway in NZ

Pretty sure I made an error above, regarding the car being VAT qualified. Should be:

GBP 15,500 Less 20% VAT refund = GBP 12400
= NZD 24,000
+GST $3600
+Freight $3000
+Import agent fee $3000
+Compliance, rego $500

= $34,100 landed, driveway in NZ

A bit more palatable...

Regarding the garage situation, what is the critical dimension? is it squeezing through a narrow door, or opening the car doors once inside?

Scott3

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Reply # 2060194 21-Jul-2018 22:49

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kingdragonfly: Fantastic advice. Cheers.

I was thinking of taking a second look the the Smart "ForTwo Electric Drive."

There is a previous generation one on trade-me at the moment.

I have a soft spot for these cars, and was considering getting one (before my baby was born).

Note that these cars lack DC fast charging, and generally have quite slow charging times. (pretty much this means the car is for city use only) That said, they current shape Smart electric cars have 22kW AC charging as an option.

These cars are quite uncommon here, you would probiably be arranging for one to be imported from either the UK or Japan.

Note that Japanese spec Smart ED's (like the one on trademe) are generally quite low spec. For example, they haven't even bothered with a glove compartment door... UK ones are generally higher spec. If you want the convertible, you will have to get it from the UK.

kingdragonfly

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Reply # 2060223 22-Jul-2018 07:42

I'm thinking quite seriously about an older Renault Zoe.

I understand the new battery pack, with twice the range, exactly fits the older models.

I don't need much range. When the batteries wear out, replace them with the new ones, which should come down in price.

The higher end model has parking sensors and a reversing camera.

https://cleantechnica.com/2017/03/20/pricing-details-renault-zoe-battery-pack-upgrades-available-later-year/

Scott3

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Reply # 2060341 22-Jul-2018 10:46

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Take a look at the NZ Electric car guide here (not mine):

http://www.electricheaven.nz/

The ZOE is relatively more common than the Smart ED, VW e-up, Merc B class electric etc...

It was sold new by Renault NZ for a while (22kWh battery variant), and for much of that time was the was the cheapest EV available NZ new. (although the i3 wasn't much more expensive for a much nicer car). Since the Hyundai ioniq launched (better car at lower pricepoint), I think Renault's enthusiasm for this one has dropped away, since then, but the used market is still trucking away with used UK imports at reasonable prices.

For a while, the 40kWh zoe was the longest range EV around (by a huge margin) that dosn't have a tesla badge. They are still one of the best range for money options available.

Note that the zoe is somewhat unique when it comes to charging configuration. Like the Smart ED, and Merc B class, it lacks DC rapid charging, but comes with 22kW or 42kW AC charging as standard. (note that fast AC charging is generally not supported at chargenet fast chargers, but is supported on a lot of the lines company fast chargers (i.e. VECTOR in Auckland).

I think all the 22kWh (cira 140km of range) zoe's in NZ generally have 22kW max charging. With the bigger battery zoe's, there are to configuration's the R90 (22kW fast charge), and the Q90 (43kW fast charge). Note that there is quite a comprimise with the Q90 driveline. It is less efficient to drive (and hence has a significantly lower range), and is really inefficient to charge at low currents. (under 60% at 10A 230V).

https://pushevs.com/2016/12/17/renault-zoe-charging-time-efficiency/

Either way, it would be worth putting in a reasonably fast charger in your garage with this car (32A single phase, of 16A 3 phase.

Nice thing about the Zoe is that you can avoid the import thing, and buy from a dealer in NZ if you want. (9 on trademe at the moment)

BTW, if your garage is so tight, you should check accessibility to the charge port. ZOE's is on the nose, other cars are on the side.

kingdragonfly

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Reply # 2060345 22-Jul-2018 10:58

Thanks for the tip @Scott3. Really nice PDF guide on http://www.electricheaven.nz/NZ-Electric-Car-Guide-07July2018.pdf

Very professional, and lots of info

Scott3

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Reply # 2060369 22-Jul-2018 12:21

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Cheers, Obviously it doesn't include the rarer EV's.

I looked up the states, and if you went the VW e-up route, your's would be the second in the country. (the first was registered in Q2 2017). These are quite well reviewed.

From the same data, their are currently 11 Smart fortwo Electric Drive's registered in NZ.

Note that any EV without any form for fast charging will be harder to sell when you are done with it.

kingdragonfly

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Reply # 2060439 22-Jul-2018 15:11

Found this website on EVwiki

Importing a Zoe from the UK

http://evwiki.co.nz/Importing_a_Zoe_from_the_UK

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